Sports
Hardwood Heroes: Boys’ All-Future Team
By: Alex Harrison
Posted on:
Dalton Cozart
When Griffin Lutz went down for Athens, someone needed to step and fill his shoes. One of the surprise contributors was Dalton Cozart.
Cozart is not a big player, only a 5’9” sophomore, but he works with what he has. He uses his body well and is able to drive to the basket.
Outside of driving to the basket, Cozart is a knockdown shooter who can shoot with the best around.
He does need work on ball handling skills to be one of the elite players in the league, but obviously the talent is there.
Aron Davis
Nelsonville-York may not have been very productive this season, but Aron Davis sure was.
Davis was consistently at or near the top of Nelsonville-York’s biggest scorers. Even when no other player on the Buckeyes made shots, Davis managed to get into the double digits.
Hunter Edwards was Davis’ partner on the court and the two played well independent of the team. Both Davis and Edwards are juniors, giving them one more season to be the leaders for the Buckeyes, hopefully giving way to a more successful team.
Naylan Yates
Yates came around for Vinton County right in the last month of the season. Only a sophomore, Yates had the opportunity to show what he had, and he took it.
Vikings Head Coach Combs called Yates a “shot in the arm” coming down the stretch.
Yates has given a boost to an already strong Vinton County team just before the tournament. In a tournament game against a favored Unioto squad, Yates and Vinton County mounted a comeback and defeated Unioto 50-47. Yates led the team with 16 points.
Tristan Bartoe is seen as the leader for Vinton County will return for his senior season aided by Yates as a new force for the Vikings.
Randy Hixon
Randy Hixon seems to disappear in the Trimble lineup behind Justice Jenkins and Bryce Guthrie, but he can be just as instrumental to the team.
With Guthrie down low and Jenkins distracting defenses wherever he goes, Hixon lives behind the arc.
Hixon is like a sniper behind the line—he is accurate and he is deadly. Hixon consistently makes it into the double digits with points.
Hixon also has the ability to draw fouls and is just as accurate from the free throw line. It is not uncommon to see Hixon’s stat line and see only points from 3-pointers or free throws.
Jenkins and Guthrie will be gone next season so look for Hixon to get more touches and more shots.
Christian Mattox
Christian Mattox is very similar to Randy Hixon. Meigs has its own stars like Kaileb Sheets, Mattox is just as good but tends to be hidden.
Mattox is another shooter type who can just wreck any team he goes against. Mattox started the season playing junior varsity and only dressed varsity. When Sheets was unable to play in a couple of games, Mattox was given his chance. Mattox lit up the TVC, especially in a game against Nelsonville-York where he scored 23 points.
Whether starting or coming off the bench, Mattox is trusted by his team and is going to get the ball and put up huge numbers.
Mattox will be huge next season, but do not expect him to disappear in the crowd again. He has cemented himself as a force and teams will have to take notice.